Sharing the love of Christ in Mexico

The following was posted by Jeff Meyer about his first time on the Thanksgiving in Mexico trip…

Do me a favor? Close your eyes for a few seconds and try to imagine going without…

Maybe you just imagined not having that new car, or a large screen television, or an Xbox 360. Maybe it was skipping a meal, or a couple of hours of sleep, or your morning cup of coffee. But I would guess that very few of us thought about going without a shower, a floor, a toilet or even a roof over our heads. Most of us have been fortunate and blessed enough by God to be born in a country where these basic human comforts are met. We have the luxury of wishing or imagining for something more.

In parables throughout the Gospels we as Christ followers are directed by Jesus to give to others less fortunate than ourselves for example: In the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30 NIV) Jesus commissions us to reach out to the world and use the talents we’ve been given by God with faith; and later, in (Matthew 25:40 NIV) He says “…I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

It was in this context that 82 men, women and children ranging in ages from 7 to 70 made a choice and donated their time, talent and treasure and set out on a journey on early Wednesday morning, the day before Thanksgiving, to go down to the Texas/Mexico border on a mission trip.

We experienced some transportation issues, bumps, bruises, aches and pains, but with the Lord’s help (because every time there was an obstacle He used it and provided a solution), we built six freshly painted homes in 2 ½ days with concrete floor foundations, sturdy walls and steel roofs for six wonderful and amazing families. When we arrived, there was a pile of pre-cut wood and supplies sitting on a cement slab, when we left there was a new home.

Additionally, because of the generous donation of an anonymous benefactor we were able to get the supplies necessary for 2 additional homes and with the exceptional help of two teams of Mexican brothers from the local church, we were able to build 2 additional homes during that same period of time.

We gave up our Thanksgiving celebration of family, friends, food and football, stepped out of our comfort zone, leapt and changed the lives of these remarkable people and by blessing them, we were blessed beyond measure ourselves. I can easily say that not one of us returned on Sunday morning unchanged. We were all more aware of what we’ve been given by God and everything felt just a bit different. Our little obstacles didn’t seem so important and we valued the big things in our lives so much more.

You can feel this way too! You haven’t visited this website by accident; you haven’t read this far only because you’re curious. You were brought here by God for a purpose…You can step out of your comfort zone, change your status quo and join us next year. You can come and experience the transformative power of God’s love, change another family’s life and simultaneously change yourself. I guarantee that when you leap God’s going to be there to catch you in ways you couldn’t imagine. He will show up, will you? Would you consider going?…

It’s Monday morning, we’re all back to work and school. Us crazy college kids are approaching exams and are finishing up a semester, people are back to work with deadlines and we’ve all stepped back into the “real world”- but I hope and pray that we are stepping back into our routines changed.

The Orange Team had a fabulous last day on the site. Leaving the hotel at 6:30 and getting to the site about 7:30 was a challenge in and of itself, but then we had to get right to work getting the majority of the roof up and finishing MANY other aspects of the house. at 10:30 we stopped working and all gathered together for the house dedication. It was a very special time for all of us to be together blessing the house and dedicating the house to God so that His will would be done and that the house would be used to glorify Him.

One thing that was so awesome to see/hear about was the fact that Jasmin (the mom) had such high aspirations. She had completed high school and had a diploma and also wanted to go to College to learn to be a secretary. This hit home for me because as a sophomore in college, I work part time in a clerical position and I can’t imagine having the dream to go to school to learn to do my job- especially one that I used to dread going to every day. With 3 young children I don’t know if that’s going to be a possibility for her, but she also has other plans for her life. She wants to take the house that we built and turn the front room into a place where she can cook and sell burritos. There are people that cook and sell burritos that travel around the colonia (neighborhood) but she thinks that it would be good to have a permanent place for people to come to. It was really awesome to hear that not only will this house provide a stable, secure shelter for Jasmin and her family, but it can also give them a source of income and a start of a better life.

The last day we always make a big walmart run and get the family the things that we think that they would like in their house- normally a rug, curtains, just things to make it more “home”. This year Mrs. Krieger had the opportunity to sit and talk with Jamine for a good amount of time each day and she really gathered that Jamine would much rather receive the practical, everyday things- like diapers that they were having to buy when they needed them because they didn’t have any extras, and a broom and food. This again just hit hard with me. I loved seeing Jasmin’s faith in God and seeing how she relied on Him for all her needs but she was actively taking the opportunities that God placed in front of her to provide for her family.

The Orange Team did not fully finish the house, but left with good knowledge that the pastor of the church had set up mexican workers to come behind us and finish whatever we did not finish, so that was a big load off of us knowing that it WILL be finished.

We left the fiesta with hearing the joyful excitement behind us of two very large pinatas being wacked at and we loaded up. Back at the hotel, there were lightening showers, packing up the bus, quick runs to burger king, and then we were pulling out of the hotel parking lot at about 10 till 4.

I wish that I could tell you more about the bus ride, but I quite literally was asleep by 4:15 and did not wake up till we were pulling into CiCi’s in San Antonio at 8:30 and then slept as soon as I got back on the bus till we pulled into the church at 2:30 am… it was glorious and I don’t know of a time I have felt so rested.

Overall, This trip was amazing and exceeded my expectations, that were set extremely high. I loved being there with my daddy and can’t wait to have my ENTIRE family there next year… (**wink wink**).

But more than that I’m wondering if YOU would consider going. Don’t commit right now, but one thing we were challenged with was just to ask people if they would consider going next year. Think about it- it’s an amazing experience unlike any other and it honesly changes my life in a different way every time I go. I hope that you will at least think about it and talk to your family and friends and see who else would consider going with you. If you have any questions just let someone know and we would LOVE to answer them for you!